Written Answers Monday 2 August 2010

Scottish Executive

Agriculture

Jim Hume (South of Scotland) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive under what statutory instrument its Rural Payments and Inspections Directorate is implementing rules regarding ineligible land under the Single Farm Payment Scheme

Richard Lochhead: The Single Farm Payment Scheme is regulated primarily by European legislation with domestic legislation (i.e. Scottish or UK statutory instrument, as appropriate) being used for those aspects where member states have a choice over the way in which a measure is implemented. Since the inception of the Single Farm Payment Scheme various European Council Regulations (currently EC 73/2009) have chosen to define eligible land as arable land, permanent pasture or land used to grow permanent crops. Member states do not have a choice over what may constitute eligible land and it follows that land that cannot satisfy any of the regulatory definitions is ineligible.

Agriculture

Jim Hume (South of Scotland) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive what criteria it uses to define ineligible land under the Single Farm Payment Scheme

Richard Lochhead: I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-35161 on 2 August 2010.

  Eligible land is either arable land, permanent pasture of land used to grow permanent crops. It follows that land that does not meet these definitions, which are set in European legislation, is ineligible for the purposes of the Single Farm Payment Scheme. The following is an illustrative but not exhaustive list of the types of ineligible land.

  Ineligible land will include impenetrable gorse, scrub or bracken, areas made up of rock, scree, ponds and water courses, woods, buildings, yards, hard standing and roads. Areas of gorse, bracken and unwanted encroachment of dense vegetation need to be carefully assessed for the purposes of claiming agricultural support. The key is not to claim areas of dense cover that are impenetrable to stock and where there is no growth below for grazing. Woodland which has a vegetative under-growth in which livestock can forage is eligible for the purposes of the Single Farm Payment Scheme but if the tree cover prevents vegetation from growing, the area cannot be used as forage and is ineligible.

  All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at:

  www.scottish.parliament.uk/Apps2/Business/PQA/Default.aspx.

Agriculture

Jim Hume (South of Scotland) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive whether the same criteria for ineligible land under the Single Farm Payment Scheme are used throughout the Rural Payments and Inspections Directorate

Richard Lochhead: I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-35161 on 2 August 2010.

  The Single Farm Payment Scheme is regulated by European Council Regulation (EC) 73/2009 and this defines what constitutes eligible land. The Scottish Government’s Rural Payments and Inspections Directorate have taken this as the starting point for guidance issued to farmers and crofters in the form of the Single Farm Payment Scheme notes for guidance as well as internal guidance to its own staff, both in its headquarters and across its 16 area offices located throughout Scotland.

  The Rural Payments and Inspections Directorate issued individual copies of the Single Farm Payment Scheme notes for guidance to 21,500 farmers and crofters across Scotland earlier this year. These notes are available at:

  http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/farmingrural/Agriculture/grants/Schemes/SFPS/GuidanceForms.

  All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at:

  www.scottish.parliament.uk/Apps2/Business/PQA/Default.aspx.

Agriculture

Jim Hume (South of Scotland) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive what checks are made to ensure that the same criteria to define ineligible land under the Single Farm Payment Scheme are used throughout the Rural Payments and Inspections Directorate

Richard Lochhead: The Rural Payments and Inspections Directorate’s Agricultural and Rural Delivery Division headquarters staff are responsible for the issue of internal guidance to its 250 professional and technical staff and ongoing support in the form of training in relation to, amongst other things, what constitutes eligible or ineligible land. This work takes as its starting point European Council Regulation 73/2009 that defines what constitutes eligible land. These frontline staff undertake on-farm inspections to ensure compliance with scheme conditions on eligibility and managerial and supervisory controls are used to monitor staff performance. A key element in ensuring a consistent approach is the reliance placed on training delivered both centrally and locally.

Agriculture

Sarah Boyack (Edinburgh Central) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether its ministers were consulted regarding the proposed abolition of the Agricultural Wages Board by the United Kingdom Government

Richard Lochhead: The United Kingdom Government did not consult Scottish ministers about the proposed abolition of the English and Welsh Agricultural Wages Board, which has no jurisdiction in Scotland. They did, however, write to Scottish ministers alerting us to their intention shortly before making their announcement.

Agriculture

Sarah Boyack (Edinburgh Central) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will retain the Scottish Agricultural Wages Board

Richard Lochhead: I refer the member to the answer to question S3O-07682 on 3 September 2009. The answer to the oral parliamentary question is available on the Parliament’s website, the official report can be viewed at:

  http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/business/officialReports/meetingsParliament/or-09/sor0903-02.htm - Col19277.

Environment

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what advice is provided to the public regarding the risk of human contact with giant hogweed, as referred to in the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981

Richard Lochhead: Giant hogweed is listed on schedule 9 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 which makes it an offence to plant, or cause this plant to grow, in the wild.

  Advice on the risk of burning from contact with the sap of giant hogweed is provided on the Scottish Government website (www.scotland.gov.uk/invasivespecies) and within the Horticultural Code of Practice published by the Scottish Executive in 2005 and available at:

  www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Environment/Wildlife-Habitats/InvasiveSpecies/HCOP.

  Local authorities and other organisations may provide further information in areas where the plant is being controlled. I understand that Highland Council currently consider that there is sufficient general local awareness of the problems caused by giant hogweed since it has had an established presence in the area for some time.

Environment

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what action is being taken in Scotland to comply with the Weeds Act 1959 regarding the spread of giant hogweed

Richard Lochhead: Injurious weeds specified in the Weeds Act 1959 include spear thistle (Cirsium vulgare), creeping or field thistle (Cirsium arvense), curled and broad-leaved docks (Rumex crispus/obtusifolius), and common ragwort (Senecio jacobaea). Giant hogweed is not covered by the provisions of the Weeds Act 1959.

  Giant hogweed is listed on schedule 9 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 which makes it an offence to plant, or cause this plant to grow, in the wild. The Scottish Government’s Wildlife and Natural Environment Bill, which is currently under consideration by the Scottish Parliament, includes provisions intended to improve the effectiveness of controls applicable to invasive non-native species and which could potentially apply to situations where a local authority or another public body has identified the need to control giant hogweed.

Environment

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what measures are being taken to combat the spread of giant hogweed

Richard Lochhead: I refer the member to the answer to questions S3W-33277 and S3W-33281 on 5 May 2010 and 30 April 2010 respectively. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at  www.scottish.parliament.uk/Apps2/Business/PQA/Default.aspx .

Food

Jim Hume (South of Scotland) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive whether there have been any changes to the rules governing public sector food procurement since the national food and drink policy workstream, Walking the Talk, was established in August 2008 and, if so, what changes

Richard Lochhead: Public sector procurement in Scotland is regulated by European Union Procurement Regulations, implemented in Scotland by the Public Contracts (Scotland) Regulations 2006. However the Scottish Government is encouraging the procurement of healthy, sustainable food across the public sector by promoting the effective use of these regulations, engaging with small and medium enterprises and piloting different approaches to helping food producers access public sector contracts.

Food

Jim Hume (South of Scotland) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive whether there are plans to change the rules governing public sector food procurement before May 2011

Richard Lochhead: Public sector procurement in Scotland is regulated by European Union (EU) Procurement Regulations, implemented in Scotland by the Public Contracts (Scotland) Regulations 2006. We are not aware of any plans to change EU Procurement Regulations as they apply to food before May 2011.

Water

Jackson Carlaw (West of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive how many people have become ill as a result of drinking tap water in each year since 1997

Roseanna Cunningham: The information requested is not held centrally. This is a matter for Health Protection Scotland.

Water

Jackson Carlaw (West of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what tests are undertaken to establish the safety of drinking water and what the outcome of these tests have been in each year since 1997, also broken down by local authority area

Roseanna Cunningham: The Water Supply (Water Quality) (Scotland) Regulations 2001  set out the standards and testing frequencies for 51 different parameters to establish the safety of public drinking water supplies. Additional sampling is also undertaken for cryptosporidium.

  There are similar requirements for private water supplies, which serve approximately 3% of the population, and these are set out in the Private Water Supplies (Scotland) Regulations 2006.

  Both the public and private water supply regulations are publicly available on the OPSI website at http://www.opsi.gov.uk/legislation/scotland/ssi2001/20010207.htm and http://www.opsi.gov.uk/legislation/scotland/ssi2006/20060209.htm respectively.

  A summary of all water quality results is published each year by the Drinking Water Quality Regulator for Scotland in the Drinking Water Quality in Scotland series of publications. Copies are available in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre, and Bib. numbers are listed in the following table:

  

 
Bib. Number


Drinking water quality in Scotland 1997
19165


Drinking water quality in Scotland 1998
19163


Drinking water quality in Scotland 1999
17148


Drinking water quality in Scotland 2000
20065


Drinking water quality in Scotland 2001
26009


Drinking water quality in Scotland 2002
31063


Drinking water quality in Scotland 2003
34052


Drinking water quality in Scotland 2004
37158


Drinking water quality in Scotland 2005
40187


Drinking water quality in Scotland 2006
43430


Drinking water quality in Scotland 2007
46426


Drinking water quality in Scotland 2008
51377



  Prior to 2002, the data is not broken down by local authority, but by water authority area.